I Read This Somewhere...

[Lost_Warrior]

I don't know if this is true or not, but I read in a book that Romans would intentionally throw up, on the floor, so that they could eat and drink more and prolong a feast (yuk!). I'd hate to be the poor sap who had to clean that up!

 

Is it true? Has anyone else heard of this?

[pompeius magnus]

Id be inclined to say yes, as the Romans did love their wine and food, especially at festivals. This can be seen also in the naming of a room as a Vomitorium, with the Roman festival cuisine though vomiting would not have been too hard to do as they dined on seafood.

[Tobias]

Yes, i have heard this all too often.

I have a picture in a book of a vase from ancient rome that depicts a roman (obviously a rich and upperclass citizen) vomiting, with his head being held by his servant. I daresay it comes from wishing to flaunt their riches, as i doubt any of the lower class proletarii had vomitoriums

Rome probably had the largest amount of epicureans in one empire.

[Ursus]

Some of the Roman rich practiced a degraded form of Epicureanism which held unrestrained hedonism as the highest ideal.

 

But the extent of these orgies of food and sex is probably exaggerated by Christians with an axe to grind against pagan society, or by purist conservatives longing for the good old days of the Republic.

 

To be very blunt, most Romans couldn't afford to waste a single bread crumb, let alone vomit away a fine meal as a matter of course.

[Violentilla]

Tidbit from art history, we had to study classical architecture-

 

Vomitoriums were actually tunnel-like hallways to and from theaters or other large gathering places. They were called vomitoriums because they vomited people into and out of large places. Tunnel-mouths...you get the jist.

 

At least that's what the prof told us.

[Lost_Warrior]

That makes much more sense *lol*. It makes no sense to me to intentionally throw up, on the floor. Not only is that unpleasant, but then you gotta clean it up. So what's the point?

[Germanicus]

The point, as Ursus mentioned, was to take part is this extreem form of Epicureanism. Vommiting, so you could eat yet more delicious tidbits. In the same way that one may vommit today in an attempt to avoid a hangover tommorrow.

I'm laboring things a bit here, but I dare say the Romans would have used a bucket rather than the floor, if they didn't have a pit for the exact purpose.

[Onasander]

I think they had utensils specially designed for throwing up, one of which is a long feather stuck down the throat.

[Violentilla]

The point, as Ursus mentioned, was to take part is this extreem form of Epicureanism. Vommiting, so you could eat yet more delicious tidbits. In the same way that one may vommit today in an attempt to avoid a hangover tommorrow.

I'm laboring things a bit here, but I dare say the Romans would have used a bucket rather than the floor, if they didn't have a pit for the exact purpose.

 

 

I think they had utensils specially designed for throwing up, one of which is a long feather stuck down the throat.

 

The feather down the throat is mentioned by Suetonius:

 

He[Claudius] was always ready to eat and drink at any time or in any place. One day, as he was hearing causes in the forum of Augustus, he smelt the dinner which was preparing for the Salii in the temple of Mars adjoining, whereupon he quitted the tribunal, and went to partake of the feast with the priests. He scarcely ever left the table until he had thoroughly crammed himself and drank to intoxication; and then he would immediately fall asleep, lying upon his back with his mouth open. While in this condition, a feather was put down his throat, to make him throw up the contents of his stomach.

 

and some accounts say that that is how he was murdered:

 

Claudius was served a dish of poisoned mushrooms. He collapsed, teetering on the brink of death, then amazingly began to recover. Horrified, Agrippina quickly enlisted the Emperor's own physician in her crime. While pretending to help Claudius vomit his tainted food, the doctor put a feather dipped in poison down the Emperor's throat.

 

Yet I'm not convinced this was common practice; just as many people overindulge today, it can be a disorder--I'm just not finding anything that says that many people would go and do this in a ritual manner.

 

The example with Claudius was not so he could participate in the Epicurean ideal and eat more food--he was made to vomit so that he would be in better shape the next day, or at least that's what I'm finding.

 

I remember my professor being pretty adamant about this rumor of the Romans' vomiting, that it probably wasn't true.

 

As an amusing aside--I remember a skit on Satuday night live years ago, back in the days of Belushi and Akroyd. It featured a room called a vomitorium which had a trough all around it; feasters came and paid for a feather and then vomited into the trough. Burt Reynolds offered to hold the braids of Jane Curtin as she took care of business, and the joke was that her name was Anorexia. It was a gross but memorable sketch, and I remember listening to the prof and wondering how many other people thought it was true from seeing that show!

[Favonius Cornelius]

Lol thanks for that SNL skit Violentilla.

 

You know I remember reading the theory that the vomitorium was quite a rarity, perhaps even largely unknown save a few individual exceptions, and that Vitellius made it famous in history, so much so that people assumed it was common Roman practice but the truth being it was just him.

[Violentilla]

Actually, vomitoriums have nothing to do with throwing up food (as I learned it), see my post above.

[Lost_Warrior]

Hehe yea it probably WAS just an unfortunate and somewhat ironic mistranslation

 

Although it does seem to happen with striking frequency that one individual makes famous a thing and then everyone believes that it is common place.

[Onasander]

But what about all that food from the dinner in the Satrycion there weren't very many guests there.

[Lost_Warrior]

Maybe his grandmother cooked it...grandmothers always DO make too much food...

 

But seriously, it could be that many of the guests didn't show, or weren't there for some reason or other. Also, wouldn't they make too much food just to ensure that there would be enough? You know, and to show off their wealth? (the rich, I mean, not the common people).

[Skarr]

Lol thanks for that SNL skit Violentilla.

 

You know I remember reading the theory that the vomitorium was quite a rarity, perhaps even largely unknown save a few individual exceptions, and that Vitellius made it famous in history, so much so that people assumed it was common Roman practice but the truth being it was just him.

 

 

Yes, Vitellius was quite a glutton, wasn't he? There is, of course, the famous story about Antony appearing drunk in the senate and later, even throwing up. I'm not sure though whether he threw up in the very chamber itself or somewhere outside, maybe on the steps. Antony was famous for his all night carousing, being fond of drink, good food and of course, women. Caesar was also fond of those things but I think he knew how to control and restrain himself, taking them in moderation, as opposed to the excesses that formed part of Antony's reputation. Somehow, I thing the old wildness of his youthful escapades never left him and carried into adulthood. It's a wonder Caesar still kept him after the debacle in Rome while he was "Master of the Horse".